Google confirms Project Glass will support prescriptions ‘later this year,’ but not in its Explorer Edition

A prescription version of Google Glass is coming in 2013. Google’s project Glass is a pair of glasses at the end of the day, so it follows that you’ll be able to order a pair personalized to your prescription preferences. While this has long been implied (or at the very least widely assumed), Google on Tuesday confirmed it is still working on such a variant, and it will be released later this year sometime after the Explorer Edition.

In fact, Google has shared a picture (read: not a mockup) of Greg Priest-Dorman, a member of the Glass team and an early pioneer in wearable computing, sporting one of the prototypes the company is currently testing. This adds further credence to the fact that the prescription variant will be available in time for the holiday season, assuming Google doesn’t run into stock issues.

Given that Glass is largely still a nerdy product, many geeks will be very happy to learn a prescription solution has been confirmed (as will the general population that unfortunately has to deal with the annoying contraptions hanging from their noses). Google further hints that this is just the start of multiple customizations that are on their way:

The Glass design is modular, so you will be able to add frames and lenses that match your prescription. We understand how important this is and we’ve been working hard on it.

The company says it is still “perfecting” the design for prescription frames and admits the frames “won’t be ready for the Explorer Edition’s release.” That’s the first version of Glass that will be available, and it’s slated to arrive before the end of 2013 for less than $1,500.

The timeframe has led many to believe that Google is hoping to get Glass out in time for Christmas. The revelation that a second, prescription version will be out in time for 2013 availability but still after the first suggests we may see Explorer Edition much earlier in the fourth quarter, or maybe even in the third. Sit tight!

Emil was a reporter for The Next Web between 2012 and 2014. Over the years, he has covered the tech industry for multiple publications, including Ars Technica, Neowin, TechSpot, ZDNet, and CNET. Stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.